Method of protecting bank-checks and the like from being raised



-(NoM0del.)

T. s.- SPIVEY.

METHOD OF PROTECTING BANK CHECKS AND-THE LIKE PROM BEING RAISED.

No. 478,294. Patented July 5, 1892.

ZYR 89013 TLA G I e 34561890 FIG-.2.

#11093. Cincinn 1.7

' lop 1mLLARS NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS S. SPIVEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

METHOD OF PROTECTING BANK-CHECKS AND THE LIKE FROM BEING RAISED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,294, dated July 5,1892.

Application filed February 1892. Serial No. 420,835. (No specimens.)

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. SPIVEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oin-' cinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method ofProtecting Bank-Ohecksand the Like from BeingRaised; and I do herebydeclare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, which form partof this specification.

My invention comprises a method that will afford bankers anddepositorsan effectual protection against checks, drafts, 850., being raised orotherwise tampered with after they are properly filled up and signed.Said method includes a peculiarly-arranged detector to be kept by thecashier orpaying teller of a bank, which detector is a sheet or bookwith a separate combination of letters,

characters, or symbols for each depositor, and these letters areassociated with numerals that run consecutively from 1 to 9 andterminate with a cypher followed by a character indicating bearer. Thesenumerals indicate dollars solely, and the depositor,

knowing his special combination, has only to add to a check or draft theproper letters to designate the amount called for, and then when thecheck is presented the paying-teller by referring to his detector cansee if the proper combination of letters has been applied and determinein an instant if any fraudulent alteration has beeamade.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 shows my system applied to part of apage of a detector-book, this page being devoted to those depositorswhose signatures are arranged under the initial S. Fig. 2 shows a checkfilled up and signed by the depositor whose name is third on this page.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents a portion of one of the pages of mydetector-book to be kept by the cashier or paying-teller of a bank andcarefully preserved to prevent its contents being known. Thisillustration shows page 93, which is here supposed to be devotedexclusively to those depositors whose signatures are arranged under theinitial 8, and. said page is ruled to include a pair of separateparallel spaces, as I) Z), c 0, (T d, and e e", for each depositor,their names (not signatures) being preferably inscribed at the left ofthese spaces. Furthermore, each of the lower spaces 1) c d 6 containnumerals running consecutively from 1 to 9 and terminating with acipher, a letter B being inserted after each of said ciphers; but theupper spaces 1) c d 6 contain the letters of the alphabet or othercharacters or symbols arranged in suchirregular associations as torender it impossible for any two combinations in the book .to be exactlyalike. Asingle letter is placed directly over each numeral, therebymaking twenty-two characters in the upper and lower spaces, the numeralsrepresenting dollars and the letters or equivalents being symbols forthe same.

fin Fig. 2 represents the preferred form of check to be used inconnection with my system, an inscription P. 93 appearing at its leftupper corner to indicate to the bank officer that the combination ofletters for verifying said check is to be found on page or sheet 93 ofthe detector. It will be noticed this check is drawn by John Smith, ispayable to George NVashington, and calls for two hundred and sixtydollars. It will also .be noticed that the drawer of the check has addedthereto the letters J O R, and after them the single letter E. Thereforewhen this check is presented at the bank the paying-teller first refersto page or sheet 93 of the secret detector, runs down said page until hecomes to the name of John Smith, glances at the spaces d at oppositesaid name, and, finding that J stands over the numeral 2, O over 6,and Rover the cipher 0,he knows that said check calls for two hundred andsixty dollars, and if there is any discrepancy between the combinationof letters and the amount written on the face of the check or draftpayment will be refused. The single letter E instructs the teller to paythe check to the party presenting it, because this letter E in the spacecl is directly-over B, the character for bearer. It will of course beunderstood that when John Smith begins depositing at the bank he isinformed his secret combination of letters reads L. J. O A D O W Z Y R,with an E for bearer, and with a little practice he will soon becomefamiliar with this arrangement, especially as it is an absoluteprotection against his cheeks being raised or altered in any manner.

In addition to guarding against a raised check my system prevents ateller paying a counterfeit check, provided the combinations of lettersare kept a strict secret between the bank and its despositors; butit thedepositor whose name is first on this page wishes to pay a similar sumof money his check must be in dorsed with the letters N R U, with an Aadded thereto, provided said check is to be paid to bearer. The seconddepositor would indicate the same amount by indorsing K V C on hischeck, with T added to indicate bearer. The fourth depositor wouldrepresent the same sum by the letters E A1, with D for bearer, it beingunderstood that the last letter is omitted from each combination when acheck is payable to order.

From the above description it is evident that by using eleven lettersfor each depositor and having no two arrangements precisely alike analmost endless set of combinations may be produced. Finally, the namesof the depositors may be Written or printed in their proper places onthe detector book, sheet, or form, as there is no relation between thesenames and the signatures of the depositors.

I claim as my invention- 1. The within-described method of protectingbank-checks and the like from being raised, which method comprises asecret detector inscribed with the names of the deposi tors and havingfor each depositor a series of consecutive numbers and a separate letteror symbol to indicate each number and a check or draft which is properlyfilled up and has applied to it a combination of letters or symholswhich when compared with the letters or symbols associated on the secretdetector with the name of the drawer of the check designates the exactamount to be paid in dollars, substantially as set forth.

2. A bank check or draft protector consisting of a sheet or book havingspaces for the names of the depositors, a series of consecutive numeralsfor each name, and a separate character or symbol for each numeral,Substantially as herein described.

A bank check or draft protector consisting of a sheet or book havingspaces for the names of the depositors, a series of consecutive numeralsfor each name, a separate letter over each numeral, and aspecialinitialto indicate bearer, substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS S. SPIVEY. \Vitnesses:

JAMES H. LAYMAN, ALFRED N. DAVIES.

